Existing aircraft heat shields may be made from titanium, which has an upper temperature limit of about 1100 degrees F. Multiple segments may be built into the titanium heat shield to facilitate thermal expansion and contraction. Aircraft engines may be designed to operate more efficiently by running at idle exhaust temperatures which are higher than the heat capacity of titanium. Therefore, in order to maintain the idle exhaust temperature at a temperature level which is lower than the heat capacity of titanium, the engine may require operation at a higher thrust with a resulting higher fuel consumption level. This may result in an increased level of brake wear. An alternative to the use of titanium would be to use a stainless steel nickel alloy that is capable of handling the higher exhaust temperatures. This may result in an increased weight with a resulting higher fuel consumption level throughout the aircrafts life.
A conventional aft fairing pylon heat shield may be designed with a titanium exhaust plume suppressor with an internal thermal blanket to protect the systems, the diagonal brace and the surrounding aircraft structures from the engine exhaust. The design may require considerable tooling and detailed manufacturing processes to form and assemble the heat shield and the thermal blanket.
Therefore, a heat shield is needed which is simple in construction, is effective in protecting aircraft structures from aircraft engine exhaust and may reduce or eliminate the need for additional heat barriers.